The Fertile Crescent was one of the first areas of the world to domesticate grains. Many cereals we still eat today, like wheat and barley, were cultivated in the area of southern Iraq, western Iran ...

In his new book “Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire” (Basic Books), Yale professor Eckart Frahm offers a comprehensive history of the ancient civilization (circa 2025 BCE to 609 ...

The Akkadian Empire existed for a short time between 2334-2218 BCE, and was founded by Sargon the Great (or Sargon of Akkad), probably its most famous ruler.